The present invention relates to art of trucks and more particularly to a new and improved dump truck having an integrated spreader system which allows for improved control of dispensing the contents of the dump truck.
Trucks such as dump trucks have commonly been used to convey materials such as salt and/or sand for the purposes of spreading these materials onto road surfaces to improve the traction of the road surface during hazardous conditions. The materials in the truck are commonly dispensed by tilting the dump body of the truck thereby releasing the goods from the dump body and/or conveying the materials within the dump body a out through an opening in the rear of the dump body. Dump trucks with integrated spreader systems are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,886,214 and 4,266,731. Both these patents illustrate the use of an integrated spreader system wherein the bottom of the dumper body includes a conveyor which is regulated to control the dispensing rate of the materials within the dump body and further include a rear spreader which disperses the materials from the dump body onto the road surface. For many years, asphalt spreading trucks have included a dump body with two openings in the rear tailgate. These openings included rotary feedgates that were manually moveable in a vertical direction to control the flow of asphalt through the openings as the asphalt was being spread with the dump body raised. Although prior spreading systems have improved the control of the dispensed materials from the dump body, a control mechanism for controlling the size of the passageway out of the dump body has yet to be developed which can be easily adjusted manually and/or automatically to provide better control of the dispensed materials from the dump body. Due to the lack of material conveyance designs which are easy and convenient to use and have the versatility to control the rate of dispense materials from a dump body, there has been a demand for a mechanism which both improves the control of the dispensing rate of materials from a dump body and which can be easily adjusted manually or automatically.
The present invention relates to trucks, particularly dump trucks and more particularly to a new and an improved dump truck which includes an improved conveyance mechanism for controlling the dispense rate of materials within the dump body.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a truck having a dump body having two side walls, a base and a rear end and front end. The rear end includes an opening which can be manipulated to control the dispensement rate of the contents within the dump body through the rear opening. The size of the aperture in the rear open is manipulated by an adjustable feedgate which is rotatably mounted in the rear opening. The side walls of the dump body are positioned essentially perpendicular to the base of the dump body or are angularly positioned with respect to the base so as to provide sloped surfaces. Preferably, the side walls of the dump body are angually positioned to provide slope surfaces which slope downward to the base of the dump body. At the base of the dump body, there is incorporated therein a conveyor system which rearwardly moves material within the dump body toward the opening in the rear end of the dump body. Preferably, the conveyor system extends longitudinally from the forward end to the rear end of the dump body and is evenly spaced between the two side walls of the dump body. The rear opening is preferably in longitudinal alignment with the conveyor system so that the materials in the dump body moved to the opening by the conveyor system will directly exit the dump body through the opening. The rear opening preferably has a width which is generally equal to the width of the conveyor belt of the conveyor system and the height of the opening is preferably less than half the height of the dump body. The rotatably adjustable feedgate mounted on the rear end of the dump body and preferably in the rear opening is adjustable by manual and/or mechanical means. The feedgate is designed to regulate the rate at which the material contents of the dump body are dispensed from the dump body through the rear opening.
In accordance with the present invention, the rear end of the dump body includes a tailgate which is pivotly attached to the rear end of the dump body. The tailgate preferably includes the rear opening. The tailgate of the dump body permits the truck to be used in both a regulated closed mode of operation wherein the tailgate is in the closed position and the contents of the dump body are conveyed toward the rear end of the dump body and through the rear opening in a controlled manner. The feedgate is preferably mounted on the tailgate and in the rear opening such that the tailgate can be positioned in an opened mode wherein the tailgate is laid in a flat open position extending in essentially the same plane of the base of the truck dump body. The design of the feedgate allows for operation in both modes without requiring a complicated configuration or operation to be used in either one of these modes.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the rear opening includes two side walls and a top wall and the feedgate is rotatably mounted in the rear opening to the two side walls of the rear opening. Such a mounting configuration facilitates in a compact and simplified. mechanism for controlling the feedgate position within the rear opening of the dump body. The feedgate includes an edge guard which is in contact with or closely adjacent to the conveyor belt when the feedgate is in the closed position. In the closed position, the feedgate blocks the access of the materials in the dump body from passing through the rear opening. As the feedgate is rotated into an open position, the edge guard of the feedgate upwardly retracts in a generally upward arc from the conveyor belt surface and controllably allows materials in the dump body to pass through and/or be conveyed through the rear opening.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the feedgate includes a feed guide having two panels positioned generally perpendicular to one another and rotatably mounted to each of the side walls of the rear opening. The feed guide is preferably mounted such that the feed guide can either be immediately retracted from the base of the dump body as the edge guard is retraced or delay in restricting until the edge guard has retracted to a minimum predefined position. Once the edge guard has reached or exceeded the predefined position, the edge guard and the feed guide simultaneously retract until the feedgate is positioned in the completely open position. The feed guide also can be mounted such that the feed guide retracts at a similar or different rate from the retraction rate of the edge guard. The feed guide is designed to add additional control to the dispensement of the materials from the dump body by limiting the size of the rear opening as the edge guard is retracted. This feedgate design provides additional control to the dispensement rate of the materials at especially low dispensement rates.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the feedgate is designed to permit the truck to be readily converted between a regulated closed mode of operation and an open mode of operation such that the dump body is not adversely affected with capacity and strength in either the regulated closed mode of operation or the open mode of operation. Such a design allows the tailgate to be used for hauling, dumping and spreading material from the dump body of the truck.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the feedgate can be mounted such that the feedgate can be manually opened and closed in an easy and efficient manner. Furthermore, the feedgate is also designed such that an automated system such as a hydraulic drive may be connected to the feedgate to move the feedgate in both an open and closed position. The hydraulic system can include an electrical control system arranged in the cab of the truck to allow an operator to operate the hydraulic system and control the dispensement rate of materials from the dump body of the truck.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a truck which can dispense material in a controlled manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a truck having a dump body which dump body includes an opening having a feedgate which is rotatably incorporated into the opening of the dump body. The rotatably mounted feedgate is designed to control the rate of dispensement of materials from the dump body through the feedgate.
In accordance with still another object of the present invention, the feedgate is mounted into the tailgate of the dump body such that the tailgate can be positioned in a regulated closed mode of operation to control the dispensement of the contents of the dump body through the feedgate and an open mode of operation whereby the tailgate in a flat open position.
In accordance with still yet another object of the present. invention, the feedgate includes two feed guides mounted to the side of the rear opening which are designed to regulate the flow of materials from the receptacle through the feedgate especially at relatively low feed rate settings.
Another object of the present invention is a feedgate which is designed to be opened and closed manually or by automated operation.
Another object of the present invention, the feedgate design is simple and easy to operate and provides excellent control of the rate of dispensement of materials from the dump body.
Still yet another object of the present invention, the dump body includes a conveyor system incorporated into the base of the dump body which acts in cooperation with the feedgate to dispense materials from the dump body to better control the rate of dispensing of the materials from the dump body.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a system for controlling the rate of dispensement of materials from a truck which is economical to install and easy to operate.
These and other objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following description taken together with the preferred embodiment disclosed in the accompanied drawings.